Long gone

Hi,

Scared you, did I? You might have thought I was dead, never updating my story?! Well, I am, but that doesn't bother me very much. I have been more concerned about and being busy enjoying myself lately and I insist on you all to follow in my footsteps doing so, worthy of imitation ;-) We get a bit self-righteous up here in heaven you know. Hope you still understand the Swenglish my secretary is using! Wasn't able to find someone else as it requires enthusiasm up to a non-descriptable limit to get them to write details about times long gone. She's got that all right so this is what we get! Ok, let's get going:

Göran's son #2 - August Göranson, later calling himself John Goranson (the Goranson's)

We are still concentrating on what happened up to the year of 1903. I have already told you that August married Kristina Salomonsdotter in 1881. She was a girl from Hovdinge Lillegård, the farm where my secretary now lives (but, you know, they moved the houses when shifting the land in 1902 so we cannot say exactly where). They had three boys - Gunnar, Charly and Teophil who were 7, 5 and 3 years old and a little girl called Betty not much more than a year old when the family left Hovdinge in 1889. That place was "beautiful beyond compare" in their eyes and they left all that was "dear and near to their hearts" (E.G.).

Thanks to August's youngest daughter Edna Goranson who I will tell you about later, my memory is refreshened. She made sure that her memories where saved for the future by writing them down. Because of her we know a little more of what happened to this family and this story will be enriched. And thanks to one of Charlie's descendants we are promised to use her story Transplanted here on the blog. It's a wonderful document, too good not to be shared and we will use it with respect and love and gratitude. Quotation marks like those at the end of the last passage above refer to her exact words, but her story will be woven into all knowledge we have about the family. Bless her, for doing this. And bless those who have helped in the process.

"Sweden has beautiful trees, picturesque lakes and land contours with rivers meandering, both great and small where fishing was every boys delight. Every farm home had its stone hedge enclosure with row of beehives amidst coloured blossoms that grew in every dooryard, wherever there was a thatched heather roof, it grew on the housetops. There were rocks and rills everywhere, slender brooks gurgling here and there. The people on the land were considered poor people as far as wealth in cash was concerned, however they lived a high standard of living even so... What lonesome longings must have been theirs at times after their arrival in America, where at the time in the early century, only prairie with small crude buidlings existed. "(E.G.). All these things were told to their children by the parents August and Kristina and other Swedish immigrants.

"They raised their own beef and pork, lamb and mutton, honey from their bees, eggs, butter and cheese, any surplus was taken to the market place, in Ljungby, a place out in the open with stalls marked off where they displayed their goods for sale. Market day was usually held on Saturday where came the farmers and people from far and near for miles around to sell or buy livestock, meats, fruit, eggs, butter, cheese, as well as woven articles of either wool or linen to be turned into cash for necessities.

To this market place in Ljungby came the parents of the world famous soprano singer Christina Nelson, as they were farmers living close by, there one day Dad, saw and heard her sing as she was skipping about like children do. He said her voice at that tender age was beautiful, so unusual, people stopped all around to listen to her. There a wealthy citizen of the city heard her, was so impressed by her marvellous voice, he arranged with her parents to receive training of that priceless gift of voice she possessed. Several years later she was acclaimed one of the world's greatest sopranos..."(E.G.).

In the museum at the old square of Ljungby you can find the piano and other possesions of Christina Nilsson. A statue of her is erected in the town. Read about her here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christina_Nilsson

All for now, love
Göran Danielsson.